Surrey Waste Management submits planning application for energy-from-waste facility at Trumps Farm
Surrey Waste Management (SWM) has formally submitted plans to Surrey County Council’s Planning Authority to build an energy-from-waste (EfW) facility on land adjacent to Trumps Farm, Longcross near Chertsey, following a period of extensive consultation with residents, stakeholder groups and members of the public.
The proposed facility will be built on the old Highways Depot adjacent to the landfill site at Trumps Farm and will use tried and tested energy-from-waste technology. Treating up to 160,000 tonnes of Surrey’s household waste which is leftover after residents have recycled and composted as much as possible, it is estimated that the new facility will generate enough electricity to power up to 12,000 homes.
The county’s Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy identified EfW as the preferred method for dealing with the proportion of the County’s waste that cannot sensibly be recycled or composted and was endorsed by all Surrey’s local authorities in 2006. SWM has submitted the planning application after the Surrey Waste Plan, which was examined by an independent planning inspector last year, identified the Trumps Farm as a site suitable for thermal treatment of waste.
Sean Trotter, general manager at SWM, said: “We are confident that energy-from-waste is the best way forward for handling the proportion of the county’s household waste that cannot be recycled efficiently. EfW is a proven technology which has been successfully used for many years in Europe in countries with reputations for green policies and high recycling rates.
“The proposed facility on land adjacent to Trumps Farm will provide a safe, efficient and environmentally sustainable way of dealing with the residual waste.”
The plant will only process waste which has been collected in Surrey, with 66,000 tonnes coming directly to the facility in refuse collection vehicles from households in Runnymede, Spelthorne and Surrey Heath. The remaining 94,000 tonnes will be delivered from the refuse transfer stations at Charlton Lane, Shepperton and Slyfield, Guildford.
Following feedback received at the public consultation, SITA UK is continuing negotiations with the Highways Agency about the possibility of providing access from the M3 to the proposed site.
